Automatic tank filling control



Jan. 13, 1959 E. CHILDS AUTOMATIC TANK FILLING CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1956 Jan. 13, 1959 E. CHILDS AUTOMATIC TANK FILLING CONTROL Filed May 31, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States l at AUTOMATIC TANK FHJLING CONTROL Emerson Childs, Bogota, Colombia, assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. in, a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1956, Serial No. 588,312

Claims. (Cl. 137-121) This invention relates to an automatic tank filling control for a system tor filling a battery of tanks.

Automatic means for actuating the inlet valve for oil tanks and the like are frequently used in present day tank filling operations to cut down on man-power requirements. Broadly, these means include a signalling means from a tank to a control which permits the energizing of a tank inlet motor operated valve to either permit or stop fluid flow.

in accordance with the present invention, the automatic tank filling control for one or more tanks comprises a base member and a rotary element mounted for rotation on said base member having a projecting member for each tank associated with said filling control extending therefrom, prime mover means for said rotary element, a reciprocable member pivotally mounted on said base member and engageable with a projecting member, said reciprocable member reciprocally actuated by a signal transmitted from a tank, switch means associated with said pivotally mounted, reciprocable member for controlling the flow in a line and capable of being actuated thereby when said pivotally mounted reciprocable member is pivotally moved by engagement with said projecting members.

The preferred type of pivotally mounted reciprocable member comprises a pivotally mounted housing having a cylindrical bore containing a piston member which is capable of pneumatic actuation. A portion of the piston protrudes from the housing, when in the extended position, for contacting a lug or projecting member on the rotary element. The piston can be either manually reset or spring biased.

An .indicating means operated by each pivotally mounted reciprocable member is included to indicate the status of each tank and to provide convenient means for resetting the reciprocable member.

The signal means for reciprocally actuating the pivotally mounted reciprocable member is preferably a gas under pressure, the flow of which is controlled by a valve actuated by fluid level indicating means associated with each tank.

The switch means for controlling the flow in a line is, in the preferred embodiment, a three-way push valve which controls a flow of gas under pressure to a pneumatic motor actuated inlet valve on a tank. It is evident, however, that other types of signals, switch means, and motor actuated valves could be employed such as the electrical type. v

The prime mover means for this invention can be any practical means for rotating the rotary element at a substantially constant speed and force such as an air, electric or mechanical motor. However, the preferred type of prime mover herein employed owing to simplicity and expense is a manually crank wound reel or spool having a weighted cable wound thereon. The spool is manually wound without turning the rotary element by means of a one-way clutch connection which permits windingof the spool without rotation of the rotary element which itself remains still by the utilization of another one-way clutch connection at its axial connection to a base member.

The invention will be more easily understood by reference to the following description with accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a part sectional top view of the automatic tank filling control, Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an enlarged part sectional side view of a pivotally mounted reciprocable member, Pig. 4 is a rear view of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is a modification of the pivotally mounted member shown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the rotary element, such as drum 1, is mounted for rotation on base 2. At one end, rotary element 1 is provided with a one-way clutch broadly designated as 3 in the mounting 4. The other end of rotary element 1 is provided with a one-way clutch 5 mounted within a spool member 6 which, in turn, has its axis situated in mounting 7. Crank 3 is provided to turn spool 6 so that cable 9, having weight 10 attached to the free end thereof, can be rewound. The spool ii is coaxially maintained with rotary element 1 by means of shaft 11. The one-way clutches 3 and 5 permit the rewinding of cable 9 without the accompanying rotation of the rotary element 1 while permitting the rotary element to be driven in the opposite direction by the turning of spool 6. Projecting members or lugs l2, l3, l4, and 15 are seen extending from the rotary element at spaced intervals. These projecting members are each capable of engaging corresponding pivotally mounted reciprocable members broadly designated as 16, 17, lb, and 19 as rotary element 1 revolves.

The pivotally mounted reciprocable members are identical and therefore a description of member in will serve to explain each. As seen in Pig. 3, piston 20 is situated within the housing 22 which is pivotally mounted at 2 5. In the preferred modification, piston 20 is capable of being manually moved into an extended position wherein its outer end 26 will engage with projecting lug 12, by means of numbered indicating arm 28. Each pivotally mounted reciprocable member 16, 1'7, 18, and 19 has a numbered indicating arm 23, 29, 3b, and 31, respectively, associated therewith. The arm 28, being representative, is pivotally connected at 32 to the housing 2.2 and is pivotally connected to the piston 26 by means of pin 34- which extends through a vertical slot 36 in arm 28 and through a horizontal slot 33 in housing 22.

In operation, the arm 28 is manually pushed forward thereby extending the outer end 26 of piston 2t). Lug 12 contacts this outer end 26 and pivots member 16 downwardly against the spring biased reciprocable valve stem 40 of a three-way push valve 42. Valve stem 40 is pushed down allowing gas under pressure to proceed through the valve 42 from line 44 to line 46. The gas proceeding through line 46 is used to open a pneumatically operated inlet valve on a tank. Each of the other pivotally mounted, reciprocable members 17, 18, and 19 has a three-way push valve similar to 42 associated therewith.

When the tank is full, the tank control will be signaled by a tank level control which allows a gas under pressure to proceed through line 48 to pivotally mounted reciprocable member 16. The gas will force piston 2b to retract bringing outer end 26 out of engagement with the projecting member 12 and forcing the numbered indicating arm 28 to pivot rearwardly. The spring biased valve stem 40 will rise thereby stopping the flow of gas through valve 42 and allowing the gas in line 4-6 to bleed through valve 42 and causing the pneumatically operated valve to close. The upward force ofvalve, stem 40 on member 16 will cause it to pivot upwardly. The corn 'bination of the backward and upward movements will place the indicating arm in the full position. An arm which is tilted away from the rotary element indicates a ing filled. Rotary element ll willresume its rotation until lug 13 contacts the outer end of the piston of member 17 and the same procedure as previously described will take place. The lug will pass the member19 without engagement as the piston of member 19, as seen in Fig. l, is retracted. The indicating arm 31 associated with member 19 is in a backwardly leaning position as seen in Fig. 2 indicating a full tank.

When the rotary element 1 has completed its rotation,

a main valve can be signaled to close, for instance, by mean of weight 10 contacting a switch.

' A modification of the pivotally mounted reciprocable member is shown in Pig. 5 wherein the piston 50 is biased to the retracted position by means of coil spring 52 and is extended so that its outer end is capable of contacting a lug on the rotary element 1 by a gas, such as air, under pressure coming through line 54. In this modification, which is completely automatic, gas under pressure is permitted to flow to the pivotally mounted reciprocable member signifying an empty tank and cansing the piston 50 to extend against the force of spring 52. When the tank is full, the fiow of gas through 54 will be cut off and bled from the line. The spring 52 will then push the piston to the retracted position to disengage its outer end from a lug on the rotary element 1. An indicating arm can be associated with thi modification similar to the former embodiment shown in Fig. 3.

It should be realized that other power means can be utilized to reciprocate the pivotally mounted reciprocable members such as electric current to activate a simple solenoid or the like. Other switch means can also be employed to control a power flow in place of the threeway valve members, for instance, electrical switches in an electric power line. Although the invention is not limited to elements operated by gas under pressure, this source of power is preferred owing to availability, expense, and safety.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I'claim:

1. An automatic tank filling control for one or more tanks comprising a rotary element having a projecting member extending therefrom for each tank to be controlled, prime mover means for said rotary-element, a

pivotally mounted member, a reciprocable member associated with said pivotally mounted member and engageable with said projecting member, means to reciprocally actuate said reciprocable member, and switch means associated with said pivotally mounted member for controlling the flow in a line, said switch means being actuated by pivotal movement of said pivotally mounted member caused by engagement of said reciprocablememher with said projecting member.

2. An automatic tank filling control as described in claim 1 wherein said means to reciprocally actuate said, reciprocable member are pneumatic.

3. An automatic tank filling control as described in claim 2 wherein said switch means comprises a three-Way valve for controlling a fluid flow.

4. An automatic tank filling control for one or more tanks comprising a base member, a rotary element mounted for rotation on said base member and having a projecting member extending therefrom for each tank .to be controlled, prime mover means for said rotary'element, a piston housing pivotally mounted on said base member and having a piston therein, pneumatic means to reciprocally actuate said piston whereby it can be extended to engage said projecting member, and threeway push valve associated with said pivotally mounted, piston housing for controlling a fluid flow, saidvalve being actuated by the pivotal movement of said piston housing caused by the engagement of said piston with said projecting member.

5. An automatic tank filling control for a battery of tanks comprising a base, a rotary element mounted for rotation on said base having a plurality of spacedprojecting members extending therefrom corresponding to the number of tanks to be controlled, prime mover means for said rotary element, a plurality of piston housings pivotally mounted on said base and having pistons therein, pneumatic means controlled by the fiuid level in said tanks to actuate said pistons whereby each is extended to engage a projecting member, and a three-way push valve associated with each piston housing for controlling a fluid flow, said valve being actuated by the pivotal movement of said piston housing caused by the engagement of said piston with said projecting member.

References tCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,026,850 Schaum Jan. 7, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 608,246 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1948 

